Been hammering for 7 years and just found out I was using my anvil wrong

Had a guy come into my shop last week to look at a knife I was working on. He watched me for maybe 2 minutes and said 'you know your anvil face is beat to hell because you're always striking dead center right?'. I thought that was just normal wear and tear. Turns out I should have been working about an inch off the heel for most of my general forging work. The sweet spot is right over the stand's legs for maximum rebound. Been making my own life harder for no reason. Anyone else have a moment where a random comment made you realize you've been doing some basic thing wrong for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

cole_baker23d ago

Hammer wherever you want I say, anvils can take it.

avery_flores1723d ago

Honestly, 50 pounds of hammer force vs a 200 pound anvil is a pretty big gap to just shrug off. Tbh, that energy has to go somewhere, even if the anvil doesn't crack.

the_elliot23d ago

@cole_baker so you're saying all that force just gets absorbed? what about the people holding the hammer though, don't they get tired? seems like the real question is about who's swinging it.